Iranian nuclear deal

President Donald J. Trump speaks with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Vice President Mike Pence at the Pentagon, July 20, 2017. (Department of Defense/Dominique A. Pineiro)

A disastrous outcome if Trump pulls out of the Iran deal

Trump seems determined to go forward with a very hostile program toward Iran, and, although a baseless U.S. pullout from the nuclear deal seems unlikely, even the so-called ‘adults in the room’ are looking for a pretext. By Mitchell Plitnick Donald Trump rarely tries to hide his intentions. When he intends to do something reckless…

By +972 Magazine August 2, 2017

The ‘Magic Wand’ missile interceptor (Israeli Defense Ministry)

Iranian missile launch shows Israeli deterrence is working

There was a lot of spin in the coverage of Iran’s missile strikes on ISIS in Syria last week. We can learn more from what Israel’s leadership didn’t say than what it did. By Shemuel Meir An extraordinary strategic event took place last week in the Middle East, when Iran launched surface-to-surface missiles against targets…

By +972 Magazine June 28, 2017

President Donald Trump with senior advisors in a makeshift situation room at Trump’s Mar a Lago estate in Florida, April 7, 2017. (White House photo)

Can the Iran Deal survive the Trump administration?

From a White House flirting with a policy of regime change to a changing political reality in the Gulf to the terror attacks in Tehran, the Iranian nuclear deal’s survival is anything but guaranteed. By Derek Davison The Iran nuclear deal—Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA—is facing multiple threats, and whatever hope there may…

By +972 Magazine June 14, 2017

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IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano and Vice President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ali Akhbar Salehi at the signing of a roadmap for the clarification of past and present issues regarding Iran’s nuclear program in Vienna. Coburg Palace, Vienna, Austria, 14 July 2015. (Photo: Dean Calma / IAEA)

A year later, Iran deal lies are still being recycled

The exact same talking points that were used to oppose the Iran deal before it was ever signed, are now being recycled in an attempt to show it has failed. Not so fast. By Ali Gharib There is going to be a storm of hot takes to mark the upcoming anniversary of the Iran nuclear…

By +972 Magazine July 13, 2016

IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano and Vice President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ali Akhbar Salehi at the signing of a roadmap for the clarification of past and present issues regarding Iran’s nuclear program in Vienna. Coburg Palace, Vienna, Austria, 14 July 2015. (Photo: Dean Calma / IAEA)

Expect non-proliferation pressure on Israel following the Iran deal

Now that the Iran nuclear deal has been implemented, the Islamic Republic, Egypt and others are likely to make a much more serious push for a nuclear-free Middle East. And Israel is in a much tighter spot than ever before. By Shemuel Meir A sigh of relief was heard in the corridors of Israel’s security…

By +972 Magazine February 17, 2016

IAF fighter jet during an exercise. (photo: IDF Spokesperson)

A vote for the Iran deal is a vote against war

The nuclear deal sets back any Iranian military nuclear program by at least 10 years, and does so without sparking a regional war. That, by itself, makes the deal the best option available. One of the easiest things to forget when discussing the Iran deal is just how inevitable and nearby war seemed for so…

By Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man August 8, 2015

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaking at the joint Congress Session in Washington DC, US. (photo: Amos Ben Gershom/GPO)

Israeli media review: Is Bibi going back to Congress over Iran deal?

Netanyahu’s mouthpiece largely parrots the prime minister’s warnings and fears; leading columnists in other newspapers label the deal a personal failure for Netanyahu, warn that the ground-breaking agreement actually puts a military option back on the table. By Edo Konrad and Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man Even before the historic nuclear agreement with Iran was announced Tuesday…

By Edo Konrad July 14, 2015

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry sits across from Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif on June 30, 2015, in Vienna, Austria, before a one-on-one meeting amid negotiations about the future of Iran's nuclear program. (State Department photo)

Nuclear deal will usher in an era of Iranian diplomatic engagement

Put aside the details for a moment. The nuclear deal signed in Vienna today will force Iran to act through diplomacy, not violence. The other option? A nuclear Iran that acts recklessly and orders strikes on Western targets. The decision to sign a nuclear agreement with Iran this morning was the right one. At the…

By Haggai Matar July 14, 2015

A cartoon on the cover of E'temad newspaper in Iran, July 13, 2015.

‘Day of Truth’: What’s the Iranian media saying about the nuclear deal?

Hours before Tehran and the P5+1 powers are expected to announce an historic nuclear deal, much of the Iranian media is expressing excitement, while the opposition worries about domestic backlash. An Iranian media survey. “Fateful Monday,” “The Day of Truth” — those were the headlines of Iranian newspapers Monday morning, indicating the great excitement with…

By Orly Noy July 13, 2015

U.S. President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu at their joint press conference in Jerusalem (photo: Koby Gidon / Government Press Office)

America’s choice on Iran: Obama’s peace or Netanyahu’s war

If Bibi, the Israel lobby and the GOP stymie this historic nuclear deal, it will be very bad for Israel, America and America’s Jews. Anybody who thinks Obama has won, that Israel and the Israel lobby and the Republicans are just going to concede the Iran nuclear deal without a fight, could not be more…

By Larry Derfner April 5, 2015

EU High Representative Mogherini and Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif address reporters following negotiations, April 2, 2015. (State Dept. photo)

Israel media survey: Iran deal, not so bad after all?

A number of senior columnists and reporters say that Israel should be pleasantly surprised by the deal struck between the P5+1 and Iran over the latter’s nuclear program. Netanyahu — and his mouthpiece — digs in his heels. Although the pushback from the Prime Minister’s Office was immediate and unchanged, many senior figures in the…

By Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man April 3, 2015